New winter weather outlook released for Oklahoma

The Climate Prediction Center released their updated winter forecast last week. The image above is the temperature outlook for the United States for the months of December, January and February. Notice that the Northern Plains is expected to have higher chances of below average temperatures and the Southern Plains has higher chances of above average temperatures. Simply put, warmer South and colder North.

So, what does this mean for Oklahoma? Oklahoma has better chances of above average temperatures, than below average temperatures. This does not mean Oklahoma will never have a cold day, it means that overall, this winter has slightly better chances of being warmer than colder.

When it comes to the precipitation outlook for Oklahoma, we fall into the "equal chance" category. This does not mean that Oklahoma will have a normal winter when it comes to rain, sleet or snow. This means that there is not a strong or reliable enough climate signal to favor one category over the other. Therefore, Oklahoma has an equal chance for above, near, or below average precipitation. Click on the related content to see the seasonal precipitation outlook for the rest of the country.

This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.

Copyright 2013 byKOCO.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.